Sharp Set of Wheels: Carmakers raise the style quotient

Around 50 new vehicles and concepts were showcased at the Auto Expo that was held in Delhi's Pragati Maidan from February 7-11.

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Yogendra Pratap

November 30, 1999

ISSUE DATE: February 17, 2014

UPDATED: February 8, 2014 15:15 IST

Ferrari F12 Berlinetta

Much like 2013, auto sales in 2014 are expected to be sluggish, at least in the first half of the year. The subdued sentiment has a lot to do with the forthcoming General Elections as more and more people are holding on to their money and deferring buying decisions. However, this has not dampened the spirits of the auto industry and manufacturers are lining up tempting new offers to lure buyers.

Around 50 new vehicles and concepts were showcased at the Auto Expo that was held in Delhi's Pragati Maidan from February 7-11. Even if all the cars displayed at the expo have not been launched in India yet, several of them will hit the Indian market in 2014.

The most significant trend this year will be the comeback of petrol cars. Yes, diesel cars will continue to sell but with more advanced technologies like direct injection and turbocharging, petrol engines are getting more fuel-efficient and offer significantly more driving pleasure. Also, with the difference in prices of diesel and petrol cars diminishing, petrol car sales will receive a bigger boost.

SUVs are expected to be a big draw-their rugged looks and road presence, among other factors, are likely to attract buyers. A number of small SUVs will be launched too. Maruti should be the first to launch its small SUV in 2014 and will be followed by Honda, Datsun/Nissan and Volkswagen. Honda's small SUV will be based on the same platform that underpins the Brio and the Amaze, the Datsun SUV will be of the Go family while the Volkswagen SUV will be the production version of the Taigun concept which was also on display at the Auto Expo. Skoda Auto might even beat the parent German company with an SUV based on the Polo/Fabia platform. Our own home-grown Mahindra & Mahindra is also working on a smaller version of the XUV 500.

With the Datsun Go+ and the Honda Mobilio ready for launch and the Hyundai's new Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) nearly ready, we are also going to have a flood of compact MPVs in a market which has till now only really had the Maruti-Suzuki Ertiga.

Premium vehicle segments will grow at a rate much faster than the rest of the market. And with the second-hand market for premium cars expanding, premium car owners will start changing their cars at a faster frequency than before. While Audi's expanded range of SUVs like the Q2 and Q4 is still some distance down the line, the major launches will come from BMW and Mercedes-Benz who will launch their small suvs this year.

Automatic choice

Driving conditions are getting tougher in most big cities and an increasing number of people are driving themselves as opposed to being chauffeured. Also, cutting-edge transmission technologies are being offered in the country. All these have led to a surge of cars with automatic transmission. Honda has already offered an automatic transmission on the new Honda City and the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) has certified that its fuel efficiency is higher than its manual counterpart. Nissan offers similar Continuously Variable Transmission (cvt) technology-which means there are no fixed gears-while Volkswagen has launched its dual-clutch automatic gearbox in its entry-level cars. These modern automatic transmission technologies provide excellent driving experience.

Maruti-Suzuki and Tata Motors have moved a step forward and now offer an automated 5-speed gearbox in their new cars, the Celerio and the Bolt respectively. For Maruti, it is a major step-up from the conventional 4-speed gearbox that it has been offering to date. Hyundai already has a 6-speed gearbox on its high-end cars and will do well to offer good automatic gearboxes in its entry-level cars.

Package deal

Manufacturers understand that to sell when market sentiments are adverse, one has to offer a compelling package complete with striking design and a good value for money equation. When it comes to new products with sensible value-for-money proposition, Maruti- Suzuki will continue to lead the way; however, Hyundai Motor India will speed past in terms of new product launches. Hyundai launched its affordable i10, Xcent, on February 4 while the SUV, Santa Fe, was launched on February 5. It will launch the premium Genesis later in the year.

Tata Motors has already showcased the Bolt hatchback and the Zest compact sedan. Although both are based on the previous Indica platform, they are futuristic cars with new features. But it remains to be seen if these cars are able to overcome the quality problems that have plagued its previous cars. Honda had a couple of bad years because of an ageing product line that did not include any diesel engine cars. Their problems were compounded by the tsunami in Japan and the floods in Thailand. But after adding a diesel engine to their line-up and launching new products last year, Honda has found their way back. Ford announced at the last Auto Expo that they will have a common global product portfolio and the EcoSport was to be the first product in that category. And it has been an instant hit. Toyota, on the other hand, designed the Etios range specifically for India but hasn't been successful.

So look forward to a host of exciting new cars that will hit the market in 2014.